Adjudicating Groundwater: A Judge's Guide to Understanding Groundwater and Modeling is a scientific bench book primarily created for judges involved in some of the nation's most complex natural resources litigation related to groundwater. The bench book explains both the fundamentals of groundwater science and groundwater modeling and combines the expertise and experience of academic ...

Rebecca R. A. Smith

Clients facing challenging, sensitive, or complex water law issues rely on Rebecca Smith’s expertise to best map their path.

Rebecca provides thoughtful, careful guidance to both public agencies and private sector clients on water rights, groundwater management issues, and environmental compliance, among other topics.

Rebecca counsels both public and private sector clients on water rights, water supply, land use and development, and environmental compliance under state and federal law. She provides sophisticated, client-centric advice on water rights, groundwater management, and CEQA/NEPA compliance. She provides cutting-edge expertise in groundwater law, and devotes significant time in her practice helping clients to understand their emerging issues, obligations, and opportunities under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Rebecca is well-versed in administrative procedure, and counsels clients through the permitting and appeals processes at the State Water Resources Control Board, through local agency appeals, and before federal agencies including the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Rebecca is proactive in building creative, efficient solutions for her clients. A thoughtful and collaborative general counsel, Rebecca has special expertise counseling clients on California Public Records Act (PRA) issues, state and local elections, Brown Act compliance, assessment and fee practices, FPPC compliance, petitions for writs of mandate, and other matters of special concern to public agencies.

Rebecca is active both in the firm’s Water Law practice and in its well-reputed Food and Ag practice. Because of joint involvement in these complementary practice areas, Rebecca lends a special understanding of food production and agricultural legal issues to her water law practice.

Experience

Counsel clients on claims of riparian and pre-1914 water rights, investigate water rights, and advise clients in interactions with the State Water Resources Control Board.

Delaware Tetra Technologies, Inc. v. County of San Bernardino; Center for Biological Diversity v. County of San Bernardino. Representing County in defense of six coordinated actions challenging the Cadiz Groundwater Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project under CEQA and the County’s Desert Groundwater Management Ordinance. Prevailed at trial on all claims in all six actions.

Prepare motion for summary judgment for community services district relating to a claim for tax refund, resulting in a $2 million judgment for client.

Counsel joint powers authority on matters relating to authority’s powers and obligations under the California Joint Powers Authority Act, and provide advice regarding the restructuring of that authority.